see that the provisions of this section should be enforced.

ARTICLE V. This article treats of the mode of amending the constitution:

"The congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this constitution, or, on the application of the legislature of two-thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states, or by the conventions in three-fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by congress: provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article, and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the senate."

Two modes of proposing amendments are here given, and there may be two modes of ratification.

(1) Amendments to the constitution may be proposed to the several states by a two-thirds vote of both houses in congress.

(2) Amendments may be proposed by a convention, on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the

states.

Whenever amendments have been proposed to the states by either of these methods, there are two ways in which they may be ratified:

(1) By the legislatures of three-fourths of the several

states.

(2) By conventions in three-fourths of the several states, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by congress. As a matter of fact, all the

amendments which have been hitherto made have been proposed to the states by congress, and they have all been ratified by the legislatures. It is probable that this method, which has proved satisfactory in the past, will not be departed from in the future.

ARTICLE VI. This article contains several provisions upon miscellaneous subjects, among which the following is of the most consequence:

CLAUSE 2. "This constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges of every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding."

This clause is of paramount importance in showing that the government of the United States is supreme, and must be, not merely over the people, but the land, the country, and all places belonging to this nation. The constitution, laws, and treaties are here made the supreme law of the land, and the statement is explicit and emphatic, that "the judges of every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.

ARTICLE VII. "The ratification of the conventions of nine states shall be sufficient for the establishment of this constitution between the states so ratifying the same."

As a matter of fact, the adoption of this constitution was a peaceful revolution.

The articles of confederation provided as follows: "And the articles of this confederation shall be inviolably observed by every state, and the union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them, unless such alteration be agreed to in a congress of the United States, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislatures of every state."

They further provide "That the articles thereof shall be inviolably observed by the states they respectively represent, and that the union shall be perpetual.”

Contrary then to these provisions of the articles of confederation which were emphatically the supreme law of the land, this constitution should go into effect between nine states as soon as ratified by that number.

CHAPTER XII.

THE AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.

CONVENTIONS were called in the several states to discuss, and adopt or reject, this constitution. After a time it was adopted by all of the thirteen original states, yet in several conventions there was a strong desire for certain modifications to satisfy the evident will of the people.

Congress, at its first session under the constitution, proposed to the states twelve articles of amendments. Of these twelve articles, ten were ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states, and became part and parcel of the constitution from the fifteenth day of December, 1791. These amendments constitute the first ten of the amendments to the constitution. They, in general, relate to the rights of the people, and to limitations of government. (The teacher is advised

to turn back to the constitution and read these amendments, discussing them in an informal way with the class.)

The eleventh amendment was proposed at the first session of the third congress, in 1794, and was declared adopted as a part of the constitution Jan. 8, 1798. It is as follows: :

ARTICLE XI. "The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the

United States by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of any foreign state."

The twelfth amendment relates to the manner of electing president and vice-president, and has already been considered. It was proposed at the first session of the eighth congress, in 1803, and was adopted by the requisite number of states the next year. At present there are three other amendments, the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth, all of which have grown out of the civil war.

ARTICLE XIII. SECTION 1. "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

SECTION 2. "Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

This amendment was proposed by congress in 1865, and ratified by the constitutional number of states the same year.

ARTICLE XIV. SECTION 1. "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

SECTION 2. 66 Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right